Designing a Book Cover

 Hey there! I decided to design the cover for a steampunk romance novel I'm about to publish under my imprint, PH Press. First, I mocked up several cover ideas and posted them on social media, inviting friends to vote on a favorite. This is the first-place winner:

The favorite is eye-catching and the girl looks mysterious and compelling. But once I reviewed the book description I had written, I realized my friends' second choice was a better fit.

A story of passion and peril in alternative Victorian England.

It's the late 19th century. Bold inventions usher in a new age, while genetic and cosmetic sciences reinforce an age-old class system. For the rich, immunity to disability and disease justifies their hold on power. Born disfigured, Mordecai Michaelson has employed his musical talent to rise above a life of poverty. Philomena Paulson appears no less perfect and no more talented than her upper class world requires. But she has secrets only Mordecai understands. Acceptance, trust, and a passion for music compose bonds of forbidden love between them. When chance discovery of Philomena's darkest secret threatens scandal and revolution, she's determined to save Mordecai from the gallows. But Mordecai is just as determined to keep her from social suicide, even if it costs him his life.

After reading the description, do you agree with my choice? Because the alternative setting is pivotal to the novel's plot, I think picturing the setting on the cover will orient readers to the type of story they'd step into.

Now that I've chosen a design idea, I'll purchase the stock images at the proper size to begin cover design. I will probably post regarding that process, so stay tuned!

A Chilling Summer Short Story

 Darkness moves beneath the surface of a tranquil lakefront community in this vacation horror story.

The Surface is a short story set in the Southeast United States, now available for all e-readers from online retailers such as Amazon and Smashwords. My freewheelin' party days on the Tennessee River inspired the story's lighter moments, but its dark heart emerged in a nightmare. Here's the synopsis:

Jenny spends every summer at her family's lakehouse in a vacation community that closed its ranks to outsiders generations ago. Here, old school ties and unwritten social codes present a united front as cool and tranquil as the lake, itself. But darkness moves beneath the surface and when Jenny is sexually assulted on the way home from a midnight party, rescue comes from an unlikely source far more dangerous than her attackers. TRIGGER WARNING!

I'm Choosing a Cover Design

 Hi! I just created several book cover designs for The Surface, a vacation horror story that will be available soon in e-book form. Here's the synopsis:

Jenny spends every summer at her family's lakehouse in a vacation community that closed its ranks to outsiders generations ago. Here, old school ties and unwritten social codes present a united front as cool and tranquil as the lake, itself. But darkness moves beneath the surface and when Jenny is sexually assulted on the way home from a midnight party, rescue comes from an unlikely source far more dangerous than her attackers.

I designed with the type style and color contrast that would make the title easy to read at thumbnail size. I chose my images to instill a sense of forboding. I work in Photoshop. Which design do you like best?

Free Halloween Short Story for Kindle, Apple, Nook, Kobo, and All eReaders

As my Halloween gift to you, download a free eBook from Smashwords through November 1 (Mexico's Day of the Dead) -- my horror short story, He Dreams in Yellow.

Tortured by heightened senses and haunted by depression, Malcolm lives in seclusion on his English estate under the care of professionals paid to watch his every move. On his mind, under his skin, and just out of the corner of his eye, is the woman linked to the catastrophic event that sealed his fate. An original short story also featured in Night at the Demontorium.

In retrospect it looks like Malcom's character is a modern day homage to Edgar Allen Poe's doomed Roderick in Fall of the House of Usher. However, He Dreams in Yellow was inspired by a nightmare from which I woke screaming.

So, you know ...enjoy!

Download He Dreams in Yellow, a free short story for Kindle, Apple, Kobo, Nook or PDF from Smashwords.

Holiday Romance Kindle Freebie

Free for Kindle and all e-readers with coupon code FJ29W at Smashwords through July 5.

I didn't know I had it in me. I wrote a light romance! It's a holiday-themed short story set on the 4th of July.

Department store magnate Clyde Anderson is a cool drink on a hot day and just being near her boss thrills Jonquil like 4^th of July fireworks. Fantasies about her secret crush never featured them trapped together in a runaway elevator on America’s birthday, but Jonquil’s emotions always have had unpredictable effects on her surroundings. Her ingenuity and his courage are the perfect match against mechanical mayhem. Will the holiday’s unexpected adventure prove these partners-in-peril are perfectly matched for each other?

Happy 4th of July -- and that goes for all my friends outside the US, too!

Bloodroom Review

Horror writer Carl Alves gave my vampire novel a cool review, calling Bloodroom's characters"compelling" and saying it "presents some interesting elements in vampire lore." Thanks Carl! Check out the review and then explore Carl's books. I'm currently enjoying his novel Blood Street on audiobook.

Win an Amazon Gift Card!

Idea 1

I need your help choosing a book cover for my upcoming novel Coffin Land, a vampire thriller with a steamy romantic subplot, set in Charleston, South Carolina in 1788. Vote for your favorite  cover idea to be entered into a random drawing for a $15 Amazon gift card. Tell me in a comment: Which cover would make you pick up the book?

Idea 2

Idea 3

Idea 4

Idea 5

Enter to win a $15 Amazon gift card by commenting below on your favorite cover. Be as wordy as you want! Why do you think that one's the winner? And which are runner-ups? Feel free to critique, but keep in mind these are rough mock-ups. Drawing date: Monday, August 24, 6 PM central.